The insurer said the certification would count toward its care-coordination measure under Anthem's Quality-In-Sights: Hospital Incentive Program, its performance-based reimbursement program for hospitals. The program aims to improve patient outcomes by offering financial incentives for hospitals that use evidence-based medicine and deploy best practices.

The decision affects about 800 hospitals and 38 million people, said Joyzelle Davis, an Anthem spokeswoman. To date, none of those hospitals have actually received the integrated-care certification, but “Anthem's willingness to recognize the ICC will hopefully encourage more hospitals to pursue the certification,” Davis said.

Only one hospital, Parrish Medical Center, in Titusville, Fla., has received the certification, although “several hospitals and ambulatory practices have expressed interest,” said Elizabeth Eaken Zhani, a Joint Commission spokeswoman.

Elizabeth Whitman is the quality-and-safety beat reporter for Project Japan in the New York office. She previously covered breaking news and healthcare for a year and a half at the International Business Times. From 2013 to 2014, she lived in Amman, Jordan, writing about the Syrian refugee crisis, public health and women’s rights for The Nation, Al Jazeera and other outlets. She speaks Arabic and Mandarin and holds a degree in history from Columbia University.